THE BIRTHDAY PARTY.

A STORY FOR LITTLE FOLKS. BY OLIVER OPTIC, author of “the boat club,” “all aboard,” “now or never,” “try again,” “poor and proud,” “little by little,” &c. BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (successors to phillips, sampson & co.) 1864. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, by william t. adams, In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. electrotyped at the boston stereotype foundry. [Pg 7]

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY.

1

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY.

I.
Flora Lee’s birthday came in July. Her mother wished very much to celebrate the occasion in a proper manner. Flora was a good girl, and her parents were always glad to do any thing they could to please her, and to increase her[Pg 8] happiness. They were very indulgent parents, and as they had plenty of money, they could afford to pay well for a “good time.” Yet they were not weak and silly in their indulgence. As much as they loved their little daughter, they did not give her pies and cakes to eat when they thought such articles would hurt her. They did not let her lie in[Pg 9] bed till noon because they loved her, or permit her to do any thing that would injure her, either in body or mind. Flora always went to church, and to the Sunday school, and never cried to stay at home. If she had cried, it would have made no difference, for her father and mother meant to have her do right, whether she liked it or not. But Flora gave them very[Pg 10] little trouble about such matters. Her parents knew best what was good for her, and she was willing in all things to obey them. It was for this reason that they were so anxious to please her, even at the expense of a great deal of time and money. The birthday of Flora came on Wednesday, and school did not keep in the afternoon. All the children, therefore, could[Pg 11] attend the party which they intended to give in honor of the day. About a week before the time, Mrs. Lee told Flora she might have the party, and wanted her to make out a list of all the children whom she wished to invite. “I want to ask all the children in Riverdale,” said Flora, promptly. “Not all, I think,” replied[Pg 12] Mrs. Lee. “Yes, mother, all of them.” “But you know there are a great many bad boys in town. Do you wish to invite them?” “Perhaps, if we treat them well, they will be made better by it.” “Would you like to have Joe Birch come to the party?” “I don’t know, mother,” said Flora, musing. “I think you had better invite[Pg 13] only those who will enjoy the party, and who will not be likely to spoil the pleasure of others. We will not invite such boys as Joe Birch.&rdquo; &ldquo;Just as you think best, dear mother,&rdquo; replied Flora. &ldquo;Shall I ask such boys as Tommy Woggs?&rdquo; &ldquo;Tommy isn&#8217;t a bad boy,&rdquo; said Mrs. Lee, with a smile. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. 2

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;I don&#8217;t know that he is;[Pg 14] but he is a very queer fellow. You said I had better not ask those who would be likely to spoil the pleasure of others.&rdquo; &ldquo;Do you think, my child, Tommy Woggs will do so?&rdquo; &ldquo;I am afraid he would; he is such a queer boy.&rdquo; &ldquo;But Tommy is a great traveller, you know,&rdquo; added Mrs. Lee, laughing. &ldquo;The boys and girls don&#8217;t like him, he pretends to be[Pg 15] such a big man. He knows more than all the rest of the world put together&mdash;at least, he thinks he does.&rdquo; &ldquo;I think you had better ask him, for he will probably feel slighted if you don&#8217;t.&rdquo; &ldquo;Very well, mother.&rdquo; &ldquo;Now, Flora, I will take a pencil and paper and write down the names of all the boys and girls with whom you are acquainted; and you[Pg 16] must be careful not to forget any. Here comes Frank; he will help you.&rdquo; Frank was told about the party, and he was quite as much pleased with the idea as his sister had been; and both of them began to repeat the names of all the boys and girls they could remember. For half an hour they were employed in this manner, and then the list was read over to[Pg 17] them, so as to be sure that no names had been omitted. Flora and Frank now went through all the streets of Riverdale, in imagination, thinking who lived in each house; and when they had completed their journey in fancy, they felt sure they had omitted none. &ldquo;But we must invite cousins Sarah and Henry,&rdquo; said Flora. &ldquo;O, I hope they will come![Pg 18] Henry is so funny; we can&#8217;t do without them.&rdquo; &ldquo;Perhaps they will come; at any rate we will send them invitations,&rdquo; replied Mrs. Lee. The next day, when the children had gone to school, Mrs. Lee went to the office of the Riverdale Gazette, which was the village newspaper, and had the invitations printed on nice gilt-edged paper. By the following day Mrs.[Pg 19] Lee had written in the names of the children invited, enclosed the notes in envelopes, and directed them. I will give you a copy of one of them, that you may know how to write them when you have a birthday party, though I dare say it would do just as well if you go to your friends and ask them to attend. If you change the names and dates, this note will answer for any party. Miss Flora Lee presents her compliments[Pg 20] to Miss Nellie Green, and requests the pleasure of her company on Wednesday afternoon, July 20. Riverdale, July 15. &ldquo;Those are very fine indeed,&rdquo; said Flora: &ldquo;shall I put on my bonnet, and carry out some of them to-day?&rdquo;

I.

3

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;No, my child; it is not quite the thing for you to carry your own invitations. I[Pg 21] will tell you what you may do. You may hire David White to deliver them for you. You must pay him for it; give him half a dollar, which will be a good thing for him.&rdquo; This plan was adopted, and Frank was sent with the notes and the money over to the poor widow&#8217;s cottage. &ldquo;Don&#8217;t you think it is very wicked, mother, for rich folks to have parties, when the money they cost will do so[Pg 22] much good to the poor?&rdquo; asked Flora. &ldquo;I do not think so, my dear child.&rdquo; &ldquo;Well, I think so, mother,&rdquo; added Flora, warmly. &ldquo;Perhaps you do not fully understand it.&rdquo; &ldquo;I think I do.&rdquo; &ldquo;Why should it be wicked for you to enjoy yourself?&rdquo; &ldquo;I don&#8217;t think it is wicked to enjoy myself, but only to[Pg 23] spend money for such things. You said you were going to have the Riverdale Band, and that the music would cost more than twenty dollars.&rdquo; &ldquo;I did, and the supper will cost at least twenty more; for I have spoken to the confectioner to supply us with ice cream, cake, jellies, and other luxuries. We shall have a supply of strawberries and[Pg 24] cream, and all the nice things of the season. We must also erect a tent in the garden, in which we shall have the supper; but after tea I will tell you all about it.&rdquo;

[Pg 25] [Pg 26]

I.

4

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic

Flora and her Father. [Pg 27]

II.
Flora could not help thinking how much good the forty dollars, which her father would have to pay for the birthday party, would do if given to the poor. It seemed to her just like spending the money for a few hours&#8217; pleasure; and even if they had a fine time, which she[Pg 28] was quite sure they would have, it would be soon over, and not do any real good. Forty dollars was a great deal of money. It would pay Mrs. White&#8217;s rent for a whole year; it would clothe her family, and feed them nearly all the next winter. It appeared to her like a shameful waste; and these thoughts promised to take away a great deal from the pleasure of the occasion. &ldquo;I think, mother, I had just[Pg 29] as lief not have the band, and only have a supper of bread and butter and seed cakes.&rdquo; &ldquo;Why, Flora, what has got into you?&rdquo; said her father. Mrs. Lee laughed at the troubled looks of Flora, and explained to her father the nature of her scruples in regard to the party. &ldquo;Where did the child get this foolish idea?&rdquo; asked her[Pg 30] father, who thought her notions were too old and too severe for a little girl. &ldquo;Didn&#8217;t I see last winter how much good only a little money would do?&rdquo; replied Flora. &ldquo;Don&#8217;t you think it is wicked for me to live in this great house, keep five or six horses, and nine or ten servants, when I could live in a little house, like Mrs. White?&rdquo; laughed Mr. Lee. &ldquo;All the money you spend[Pg 31] would take care of a dozen families of poor folks,&rdquo; said Flora. II. 5

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;That is very true. Suppose I should turn away all the men and women that work for me,&mdash;those, I mean, who work about the house and garden,&mdash;and give the money I spend in luxuries to the poor.&rdquo; &ldquo;But what would John and[Pg 32] Peter, Hannah and Bridget do then? They would lose their places, and not be able to earn any thing. Why, no, father; Peter has a family; he has got three children, and he must take care of them.&rdquo; &ldquo;Ah, you begin to see it&mdash;do you?&rdquo; said Mr. Lee, with a smile. &ldquo;All that I spend upon luxury goes into the pockets of the farmer, mechanic, and laborer.&rdquo; &ldquo;I see that, father,&rdquo; replied[Pg 33] Flora, looking as bright as sunshine again; &ldquo;but all the money spent on my party will be wasted&mdash;won&#8217;t it?&rdquo; &ldquo;Not a cent of it; my child. If I were a miser, and kept my money in an iron safe, and lived like a poor man, I should waste it then.&rdquo; &ldquo;But twenty dollars for the Riverdale Band is a great deal to give for a few hours&#8217; service.[Pg 34] It don&#8217;t do any good, I think.&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, it does; music improves our minds and hearts. It makes us happy. I have engaged six men to play. They are musicians only at such times as they can get a job. They are shoemakers, also, and poor men; and the money which I shall pay them will help support their families and educate them.&rdquo; &ldquo;What a fool I was, father!&rdquo;[Pg 35] exclaimed Flora. &ldquo;O, no; not so bad as that; for a great many older and wiser persons than yourself have thought just what you think.&rdquo; &ldquo;But the supper, father,&mdash;the ice cream, the cake, and the lemonade,&mdash;won&#8217;t all the money spent for these things be wasted?&rdquo; &ldquo;No more than the money[Pg 36] spent for the music. The confectioner and those whom he employs depend upon their work for the means of supporting themselves and their families.&rdquo; &ldquo;So they do, father. And when you have a party, you are really doing good to the poor.&rdquo; &ldquo;That depends upon circumstances,&rdquo; replied Mr. Lee. &ldquo;I don&#8217;t think it would be[Pg 37] an act of charity for a person who could not afford it to give a party. I only mean to say that when we spend money for that which does not injure us or any body else, what we spend goes into the pockets of those who need it. &ldquo;A party&mdash;a proper party, I mean, such a one as you will have&mdash;is a good thing in itself. Innocent amusement is just as necessary as food and drink. &ldquo;God has given me wealth,[Pg 38] Flora, and he expects me to do all the good I can with it. I hold it as his steward. Now, when I pay one of these musicians three or four dollars for an afternoon&#8217;s work, I do him a favor as well as you and those whom you invite to your party. &ldquo;And I hope the party will make you love one another more than ever before.[Pg 39] I hope the music will warm your hearts, and that the supper will make you happy, and render you thankful to the Giver of all II. 6

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic things for his constant bounty.&rdquo; &ldquo;How funny that I should make such a blunder!&rdquo; exclaimed Flora. &ldquo;I am sure I shall enjoy my party a great deal more now that I understand these things.&rdquo; &ldquo;I hope you won&#8217;t understand[Pg 40] too much, Flora. Suppose you had only a dollar, and that it had been given you to purchase a story book. Then, suppose Mrs. White and her children were suffering from want of fuel and clothing. What would you do with your dollar?&rdquo; &ldquo;I would&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; &ldquo;Wait a minute, Flora,&rdquo; interposed her father. &ldquo;When you buy the book, you pay[Pg 41] the printer, the paper maker, the bookseller, the type founder, the miner who dug the lead and the iron from the earth, the machinist who made the press, and a great many other persons whose labor enters into the making of a book&mdash;you pay all these men for their labor; you give them money to help take care of their wives and children, their fathers and mothers. You help all these men when you[Pg 42] buy a book. Now, what would you do with your dollar?&rdquo; &ldquo;I would give it to poor Mrs. White,&rdquo; promptly replied Flora. &ldquo;I think you would do right, for your money would do more good in her hands. The self-denial on your part would do you good. I only wanted you to understand that, when you bought a book,&mdash;even a book which was only[Pg 43] to amuse you,&mdash;the money is not thrown away. &ldquo;Riches are given to men for a good purpose; and they ought to use their wealth for the benefit of others, as well as for their own pleasure. If they spend money, even for things that are of no real use to them, it helps the poor, for it feeds and clothes them.&rdquo; Flora was much interested[Pg 44] in this conversation, and perhaps some of my young friends will think she was an old head to care for such things; but I think they can all understand what was said as well as she did.

[Pg 45] [Pg 46]

II.

7

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic

On the Lawn. [Pg 47]

III.
The great day at length arrived, and every thing was ready for the party. On the lawn, by the side of the house, a large tent had been put up, in which the children were to have the feast. Under a large maple tree, near the tent, a stage for the musicians had been erected. Two swings had been put up;[Pg 48] and there was no good reason why the children should not enjoy themselves to their hearts&#8217; content. I think the teachers in the Riverdale school found it hard work to secure the attention of their scholars on the forenoon of that day, for all the boys and girls in the neighborhood were thinking about the party. As early as one o&#8217;clock in[Pg 49] the afternoon the children began to collect at the house of Mr. Lee, and at the end of an hour all who had received invitations were present. The band had arrived, and at a signal from Mr. Lee the music commenced. &ldquo;Now, father, we are all here. What shall we do?&rdquo; asked Flora, who was so excited she did not know which[Pg 50] way to turn, or how to proceed to entertain the party. &ldquo;Wait a few minutes, and let the children listen to the music. They seem to enjoy it very well.&rdquo; &ldquo;But we want to play something, father.&rdquo; &ldquo;Very soon, my child, we will play something.&rdquo; &ldquo;What shall we play, father?&rdquo; &ldquo;There are plenty of plays.[Pg 51] Wouldn&#8217;t you like to march a little while to the music?&rdquo;

III.

8

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;March?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, march to the tune of &lsquo;Hail, Columbia.&rsquo; I will show you how to do it.&rdquo; &ldquo;I don&#8217;t know what you mean, father.&rdquo; &ldquo;Well, I will show you in a few minutes.&rdquo; When the band had played a little while longer, Mr. Lee assembled the children in the[Pg 52] middle of the lawn, and asked them if they would like to march. They were pleased with the idea, though some of them thought it would be rather tame amusement for such an exciting occasion. &ldquo;You want two leaders, and I think you had better choose them yourselves. It would be the most proper to select two boys.&rdquo; Mr. Lee thought the choice[Pg 53] of the leaders would amuse them; so he proposed that they should vote for them. &ldquo;How shall we vote, father?&rdquo; asked Frank. &ldquo;Three of the children must retire, and pick out four persons; and the two of these four who get the most votes shall be the leaders.&rdquo; Mr. Lee appointed two girls and one boy to be on this[Pg 54] committee; but while he was doing so, Tommy Woggs said he did not think this was a good play. &ldquo;I don&#8217;t think they will choose the best leaders,&rdquo; said Tommy. &ldquo;Don&#8217;t you, Mr. Woggs?&rdquo; asked Mr. Lee, laughing. &ldquo;No, sir, I do not. What do any of these boys know about such things!&rdquo; said Tommy, with a sneer. &ldquo;I have[Pg 55] been to New York, and have seen a great many parades.&rdquo; &ldquo;Have you, indeed?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, sir, I have.&rdquo; &ldquo;And you think you would make a better leader than any of the others?&rdquo; &ldquo;I think so, sir.&rdquo; All the children laughed heartily at Master Woggs, who was so very modest! &ldquo;None of these boys and girls have ever been to New York,&rdquo;[Pg 56] added Tommy, his vanity increasing every moment. &ldquo;That is very true; and perhaps the children will select you as their leader.&rdquo;

III.

9

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;They can do as they like. If they want me, I should be very willing to be their leader,&rdquo; replied Tommy. It was very clear that Master Woggs had a very good opinion of himself. He seemed to think that the fact of his[Pg 57] having been to New York made a hero of him, and that all the boys ought to take off their caps to him. But it is quite as certain that the Riverdale children did not think Master Woggs was a very great man. He thought so much of himself, that there was no room for others to think much of him. The committee of three returned in a few minutes, and[Pg 58] reported the names of four boys to be voted for as the leaders. They were Henry Vernon, Charley Green, David White, and Tommy Woggs. The important little gentleman who had been to New York, was delighted with the action of the committee. He thought all the children could see what a very fine leader he would make, and that all of them would vote for him. &ldquo;What shall we do for votes,[Pg 59] father?&rdquo; asked Frank. &ldquo;We can easily manage that, Frank,&rdquo; replied Mr. Lee. &ldquo;We have no paper here.&rdquo; &ldquo;Listen to me a moment, children,&rdquo; continued Mr. Lee. &ldquo;There are four boys to be voted for; and we will choose one leader first, and then the other. &ldquo;Those who want Henry Vernon for a leader will put[Pg 60] a blade of grass in the hat which will be the ballot box; those who want Charley Green will put in a clover blossom; those who want David White will put in a maple leaf; and those who want to vote for Tommy Woggs will put in a&mdash;let me see&mdash;put in a dandelion flower.&rdquo; The children laughed, for they thought the dandelion was just the thing for Master[Pg 61] Woggs, who had been to New York. One of the boys carried round Mr. Lee&#8217;s hat, and it was found that Henry Vernon had the most votes; so he was declared to be the first leader. &ldquo;Humph!&rdquo; said Tommy Woggs. &ldquo;What does Henry Vernon know? He has never been to New York.&rdquo; &ldquo;But he lives in Boston,&rdquo; added Charley Green. &ldquo;Boston is nothing side of[Pg 62] New York.&rdquo; &ldquo;I think Boston is a great place,&rdquo; replied Charley. &ldquo;That&#8217;s because you have never been to New York,&rdquo; said Master Woggs. &ldquo;They will, of course, all vote for me next time. If they do, I will show them how things are done in New York.&rdquo; &ldquo;Pooh!&rdquo; exclaimed Charley, as he left the vain little man. III. 10

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic While all the children were[Pg 63] wondering who would be the other leader, Flora was electioneering among them for her favorite candidate; that is, she was asking her friends to vote for the one she wanted. Who do you suppose it was? Master Woggs? No. It was David White. The hat was passed round again, and when the votes were counted, there was only[Pg 64] one single dandelion blossom found in the hat. Tommy Woggs was mad, for he felt that his companions had slighted him; but it was only because he was so vain and silly. People do not often think much of those who think a great deal of themselves. There was a great demand for maple leaves, and David White was chosen the second leader, and had nearly all the[Pg 65] votes. The boys then gave three cheers for the leaders, and the lines were formed. Mr. Lee told Henry and David just how they were to march, and the band at once began to play &ldquo;Hail Columbia.&rdquo; The children first marched, two by two, round the lawn, and then down the centre. When they reached the end, one leader turned off to the[Pg 66] right, and the other to the left, each followed by a single line of the children. Passing round the lawn, they came together again on the other side. Then they formed a great circle, a circle within a circle, and concluded the march with the &ldquo;grand basket.&rdquo; This was certainly a very simple play, but the children enjoyed it ever so much[Pg 67]&mdash;I mean all but vain Master Woggs, who was so greatly displeased because he was not chosen one of the leaders, that he said there was no fun at all in the whole thing. About half an hour was spent in marching, and then Mr. Lee proposed a second game. The children wanted to march a little longer; but there were a great number[Pg 68] of things to be done before night, and so it was thought best, on the whole, to try a new game.

[Pg 69] [Pg 70]

III.

11

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic

The Old Fiddler. [Pg 71]

IV.
When the children had done marching, Mrs. Lee took charge of the games. Several new plays, which none of them had heard of before, were introduced. The boys and girls all liked them very well, and the time passed away most rapidly. Just before they were going[Pg 72] to supper, an old man, with a fiddle in his hand, tottered into the garden, and down the lawn. He was a very queer-looking old man. He had long white hair, and a long white beard. He was dressed in old, worn-out, soldier clothes, in part, and had a sailor&#8217;s hat upon his head, so that they could not tell whether he was a soldier or a sailor. As he approached the children,[Pg 73] they began to laugh with all their might; and he certainly was a very funny old man. His long beard and hair, his tattered finery, and his hobbling walk, would have made almost any one laugh&mdash;much more a company of children as full of fun as those who were attending the birthday party. &ldquo;Children,&rdquo; said the old[Pg 74] man, as he took off his hat and made a low bow, &ldquo;I heard there was a party here, and I came to play the fiddle for you. All the boys and girls like a fiddle, because it is so merry.&rdquo; &ldquo;O mother! what did send that old man here?&rdquo; cried Flora. &ldquo;He came of himself, I suppose,&rdquo; replied Mrs. Lee, laughing. &ldquo;I think it is too bad to[Pg 75] laugh at an old man like him,&rdquo; added Flora. &ldquo;It would be, if he were in distress; but don&#8217;t you see he is as merry as any of the children?&rdquo; IV. 12

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;Play us some tunes,&rdquo; said the children. &ldquo;I will, my little dears;&rdquo; and the old man raised the fiddle. &ldquo;Let&#8217;s see&mdash;I will play &lsquo;Napoleon&#8217;s Grand March.&rsquo;&rdquo; The fiddler played, but he[Pg 76] behaved so queerly that the children laughed so loud they could hardly hear the music. &ldquo;Why, that&#8217;s &lsquo;Yankee Doodle,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Henry Vernon; and they all shouted at the idea of calling that tune &ldquo;Napoleon&#8217;s Grand March.&rdquo; &ldquo;Now I will play you the solo to the opera of &lsquo;La Sonnambula,&rsquo;&rdquo; said the old man. &ldquo;Whew!&rdquo; said Henry. The old man fiddled again,[Pg 77] with the same funny movements as before. &ldquo;Why, that&#8217;s &lsquo;Yankee Doodle&rsquo; too!&rdquo; exclaimed Henry. &ldquo;I guess he don&#8217;t know any other tune.&rdquo; &ldquo;You like that tune so well, I will play you &lsquo;Washington&#8217;s March;&rsquo;&rdquo; and the funny old fiddler, with a great flourish, began to play again; but still it was &ldquo;Yankee Doodle.&rdquo; And so he went on saying[Pg 78] he would play many different tunes, but he played nothing but &ldquo;Yankee Doodle.&rdquo; &ldquo;Can&#8217;t you tell us a story now?&rdquo; asked Charley Green. &ldquo;O, yes, my little man, I can tell you a story. What shall it be?&rdquo; &ldquo;Are you a soldier or a sailor?&rdquo; &ldquo;Neither, my boy.&rdquo; &ldquo;The story! the story!&rdquo;[Pg 79] shouted the boys, very much excited. &ldquo;Some years ago I was in New York,&rdquo; the old man commenced. &ldquo;Did you see me there?&rdquo; demanded Tommy Woggs. &ldquo;Well, my little man, I don&#8217;t remember that I saw you.&rdquo; &ldquo;O, I was there;&rdquo; and Tommy thrust his hands down to the bottom of his pockets, and strutted up the space between[Pg 80] the children and the comical old fiddler. &ldquo;I did see a very nice-looking little gentleman&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; &ldquo;That was me,&rdquo; pompously added Tommy. IV. 13

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;He was stalking up Broadway. He thought every body was looking at and admiring him; but such was not the case. He looked just like&mdash;just like&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; &ldquo;Like me?&rdquo; asked Tommy. &ldquo;Like a sick monkey,&rdquo; replied[Pg 81] the fiddler. &ldquo;Go on with your story.&rdquo; &ldquo;I will, children. Several years ago I was in New York. It is a great city; if you don&#8217;t believe it, ask Master Tommy Woggs.&rdquo; &ldquo;You tell the truth, Mr. Fiddler. It is a great city, and I have been all over it, and can speak from observation,&rdquo; replied Master Woggs. &ldquo;The story!&rdquo; shouted the[Pg 82] children. &ldquo;I was walking up Broadway. This street is always crowded with people, as well as with carts and carriages.&rdquo; &ldquo;I have seen that street,&rdquo; said Tommy. &ldquo;Now you keep still a few minutes, Tommy, if you can,&rdquo; interposed Mrs. Lee. &ldquo;At the corner of Wall Street&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo; &ldquo;I know where that is,&rdquo; exclaimed[Pg 83] Tommy. &ldquo;At the corner of Wall Street there was a man with a kind of cart, loaded with apples and candy, which he was selling to the passers-by. Suddenly there came a stage down the street, and ran into the apple cart.&rdquo; &ldquo;I saw the very same thing done,&rdquo; added Tommy, with his usual self-important air. &ldquo;Keep still, Tom Woggs,&rdquo;[Pg 84] said Charley Green. &ldquo;The apples were scattered all over the sidewalk; yet the man picked up all but one of them, though he was very angry with the driver of the stage for running against his cart.&rdquo; &ldquo;Why didn&#8217;t he pick up the other apple?&rdquo; asked Henry. &ldquo;A well-dressed man, with big black whiskers, picked that[Pg 85] up. &lsquo;Give it to me,&rsquo; said the apple man. &lsquo;I will not,&rsquo; replied the man with whiskers. The apple merchant was as mad as he could be; and then the man with black whiskers put his hand in his pocket and drew out a knife. The blade was six inches long.&rdquo; &ldquo;O, dear me!&rdquo; exclaimed Flora. &ldquo;Raising the knife, he at once moved towards the angry[Pg 86] apple merchant, and&mdash;and&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;

IV.

14

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic &ldquo;Well, what?&rdquo; asked several, eagerly. &ldquo;And cut a piece out of the apple, and put it in his mouth.&rdquo; The children all laughed heartily, for they were sure the man with the whiskers was going to stab the apple merchant. &ldquo;He then took two cents[Pg 87] from his pocket, paid for the apple, and went his way,&rdquo; continued the old man. &ldquo;Now, there is one thing more I can do. I want to run a race with these boys.&rdquo; &ldquo;Pooh! You run a race!&rdquo; sneered Charley. &ldquo;I can beat you.&rdquo; &ldquo;Try it, and see.&rdquo; The old man and Charley took places, and were to start at the word from Henry. But[Pg 88] when it was given, the fiddler hobbled off, leaving Charley to follow at his leisure. When the old man had got half way round the lawn, Charley started, sure he could catch him long before he reached the goal. But just as the boy was coming up with the man, the latter began to run, and poor Charley found, much to his surprise, that he ran very fast. He was unable to overtake[Pg 89] him, and consequently lost the race. The children were much astonished when they saw the old man run so fast. He appeared to have grown young all at once. But he offered to race with any of the boys again; and half a dozen of them agreed to run with him. &ldquo;I guess I will take my coat off this time,&rdquo; said the fiddler. As he threw away the coat,[Pg 90] he slipped off the wig and false beard he wore; and the children found, to their surprise, that the old man was Mr. Lee, who had dressed himself up in this disguise to please them. The supper was now ready, and all the children were invited to the tent. They had played so hard that all of them had excellent appetites,[Pg 91] and the supper was just as nice as a supper could be. It was now nearly dark, and the children had to go home; but all of them declared the birthday party of Flora was the best they ever attended. &ldquo;Only to think,&rdquo; said Flora, when she went to bed that night, &ldquo;the old fiddler was my father!&rdquo; [Pg 92]

IV.

15

LIZZIE.
Mother, what ails our Lizzie dear, So cold and still she lies? She does not speak a word to-day, And closed her soft blue eyes. Why won&#8217;t she look at me again, And laugh and play once more? I cannot make her look at me As she used to look before. Her face and neck as marble white,[Pg 93] And, O, so very cold! Why don&#8217;t you warm her, mother dear, Your cloak around her fold? Her little hand is cold as ice, Upon her waveless breast,&mdash; So pure, I thought I could see through The little hand I pressed. Your darling sister&#8217;s dead, my child; She cannot see you now; The damps of death are gath&#8217;ring there Upon her marble brow. She cannot speak to you again,[Pg 94] Her lips are sealed in death; That little hand will never move, Nor come that fleeting breath. All robed in white, and decked with flowers, We&#8217;ll lay her in the tomb; The flower that bloomed so sweetly here, No more on earth will bloom; But in our hearts we&#8217;ll lay her up, And love her all the more, Because she died in life&#8217;s spring time, Ere earth had won her o&#8217;er. Nay, nay, my child, she is not dead,[Pg 95] Although she slumbers there, And cold and still her marble brow, And free from pain and care. She slept, and passed from earth to heaven, And won her early crown: An angel now she dwells above, And looks in triumph down. She is not dead, for Jesus died That she might live again. &ldquo;Forbid them not,&rdquo; the Saviour said, And blessed dear sister then. Her little lamp this morn went out[Pg 96] On earth&#8217;s time-bounded shore; LIZZIE. 16

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic But angels bright in heaven this morn Relighted it once more. Some time we, too, shall fall asleep, To wake in heaven above, And meet our angel Lizzie there In realms of endless love. We&#8217;ll bear sweet sister in our hearts, And then there&#8217;ll ever be An angel there to keep our souls From sin and sorrow free.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BIRTHDAY PARTY *** ***** This file should be named 21901-h.htm or 21901-h.zip ***** This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.org/2/1/9/0/21901/ Produced by David Edwards, Suzan Flanagan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from scans of public domain material produced by Microsoft for their Live Search Books site.)

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

LIZZIE.

17

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic *** START: FULL LICENSE *** THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at http://gutenberg.org/license).

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project LIZZIE. 18

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with LIZZIE. 19

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg-tm License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided that - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. LIZZIE. 20

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LIZZIE. 21

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.

Section

2.

Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm

Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.

Section 3. Foundation

Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent LIZZIE. 22

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official page at http://pglaf.org For additional contact information: Dr. Gregory B. Newby Chief Executive and Director gbnewby@pglaf.org

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit http://pglaf.org While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate

LIZZIE.

23

The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Birthday Party, by Oliver Optic Section 5. works. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic

Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.

Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: http://www.gutenberg.org This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.

LIZZIE.

24

Related Interests

Documents Similar To The Birthday PartyA Story for Little Folks by Optic, Oliver, 1822-1897